Getty Mark Davis with Antonio PIerce.
The chaotic 2023 regular season is officially over for the Las Vegas Raiders. The team could’ve come undone after head coach Josh McDaniels was fired in early November, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce kept the team together and went 5-4 for the final stretch of the season, putting Pierce in position to possibly earn the full-time head coaching job.
And Raiders owner Mark Davis is “really excited” about the job Pierce did this season, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
“Yeah, I think the team really played well down the stretch, and I think going 4-2 in the division is really a positive for us,” Davis told Gutierrez in a January 7 interview. “Obviously, that’s what we have to take care of first is the division. And we went into Kansas City, in a tough game, and beat them [20-14 on Christmas Day], and we took care of Denver here at home to end the season.”
Davis is the most important person Pierce needs to win over if he hopes to get the job. While the team wasn’t perfect under the coach, he’s earned the support of the players.
Mark Davis Discusses Timeline
There have been suggestions that the Raiders should just remove the interim tag from Pierce and promote him immediately but that would be against the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires the team to interview at least two minority or female candidates. Breaking the rule could result in losing a draft pick or facing a significant fine.
Davis acknowledged as much.
“I have to go through the process of interviews, setting up interviews and then letting you know what we’re doing,” Davis said, according to Gutierrez.
Davis was also asked about whether he had a timeline for a decision and he played coy.
“Nope. Probably before next season,” Davis said jokingly.
This video of Antonio Pierce leaving the field with the fans will give you goosebumps. #Raiders
Antonio Pierce Discusses His Goals if He Gets HC Job
Pierce handled business in Week 18 by beating the Denver Broncos 27-14 and ending the 2023 season on a high note.
Pierce now has to wait for the Raiders’ coaching search to run its course, but he spoke about his goals for the team if he’s retained.
“You just keep growing, I mean, you talk about culture, you talk about foundation, you talk about your DNA, talk about what you want it to look like, your structure, your coaches, your players, having your identity,” Pierce said during his January 7 postgame press conference. “To me, our players and our coaches will be a reflection of me and I’ll go forward as we move into this bad boy. But there’s a lot of things that I can still grow from.
“This is a great experience, great kickstart. I think we do have a solid foundation that we’ve built so far, but there’s more to go and, no excuse, but it is difficult to do in the middle of the season and to get guys to buy in and really believe that that’s how you’re going to win and that’s the way to win. [If] we have time to do presentations, put that in OTAs, minicamps, training camp, get that bonding, that chemistry together, I think it’ll be a pretty thing to watch.”